I've been told by my reliable Vintages guy that this is the "little sister" to the former Hécula that I loved so much.Well, I guess I just fell in love with the little sister. A "Heck Ya" of a buy (sorry, I couldn't resist) for under $12.Enough tannins to make me happy, and the monastrell fruit is prominent.

The 2009 Bodegas Castaño Hécula Monastrell, aged in oak for 6 months, is a medium bodied, fruity wine, with intense aromas of fresh dates, cranberry and oak. It has a nice food friendly acidity, refined tannins (decant for 15 min) and a medium to long finish. It is good to drink now or can be cellared for the next 5 years - it has en evolution potential of +1 pt; as aforementioned, this is a food friendly wine. My impression: NICE, 89 pts - used to cost $15, for this price buy-by-a-case before they are all gone. Tasted Dec/12.